Community Feedback – Community Vision for Takoma

Takoma Park Budget Town Hall

The City has proposed to raise property taxes by more than 10%.

Below, you will find links to the slide deck from the presentation at the Takoma Park Budget Town Hall on Sunday, April 16, 2023 brought to you by Community Vision for Takoma, as well as a version with narration explaining the slides.

It includes Key facts and background on the TP Budget, close up on Revenue and Expenses, and even how to calculate your own potential property tax increase. Please share widely.

Please contact your City Council members with questions and comments. Contact information is in the slide deck.

Remaining chances to comment at a City Council meeting (in person or on zoom) are Wednesday April 26, and Monday May 1st.

Three ways to access the slides:

1. Online pdf access: click here: CVT Budget Town Hall:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vQEMTlRyagI6oecBa1PTmqWMolv71VaMEk22qCPQc6Rl_Mr6HF8Uqh9L4TFYyc2K6E12qiqndItCly4/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000&slide=id.p

2. Online google docs access: CVT Budget Town Hall:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/15vrHCc9ukAHdNN4Biq13x5H5EOnH4Bgv0dMSM_uaD1o/edit?usp=sharing

3. Slide deck with 10-minute narration explaining the slides HERE.

County Planning Denies Approval for Takoma Junction Plan

UPDATE: On January 27th 2022, the Montgomery County Planning Board voted unanimously to deny approval of the Takoma Junction plans.

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The Montgomery County Planning Board has scheduled a vote on the proposed Takoma Junction development for January 27th 2022. It was originally scheduled for January 20th 2022 but has been postponed by a week.

To send a written statement with your opinion about the proposed development to the Board before their vote, email Board Chair Casey Anderson at mcp-chair@mncppc-mc.org, by noon on Wednesday January 26th.

The proposal has now been rejected by the City Council, the State Highway Administration (multiple times), and the community (96% of 385 comments on the City feedback page were negative).

The Board staff continues to recommend denial of the project, and this week reposted their report with that recommendation from last September. (This staff report was not presented or discussed in September, because instead NDC got an extension).

New information released on January 7th by the Planning Board, and linked to the original January 20th Board agenda, includes new documents and correspondence dated between September 2021 and January 2022, including:

An update on what has happened since the Board gave NDC a 90 day extension, with new research, written by the Planning Board staff in preparation for the Board vote. Among other things, the staff refutes the assertions that there are comparable lay-bys in use locally.
A letter from the Planning Board Chair to the SHA pressing them to explain what design for the deliveries and the exit/entrance would be safe, or to state clearly that there is no safe solution.
A reply from SHA to the Planning Board, reiterating that it is the developer’s job to submit a design for them to assess (not SHA’s job to figure out a design that would work).
Description of a meeting of the Planning Board staff, SHA, NDC and City of Takoma Park staff. The NDC lawyer described it as an attempt “to help facilitate communications and bring the matter to some type of resolution.”
A letter from NDC to the City Manager asking the City to cut down trees on private property adjacent to the proposed site.
A letter from NDC’s lawyer requesting that the Planning Board vote to give them approval “conditioned on future SHA approvals” for the layby and the exit/entrance drive.
A letter from the City to the Planning Board, reminding the Board that City Council “voted unanimously to recommend that the Planning Board not approve the current plan.” And they explain why the City Council “was deliberate in not recommending approval of the site plan conditioned upon State Highway Administration (“SHA”) approval of the lay-by.”

For a dated chronology of these new letters and documents, see our updated Junction Timeline.

NDC Threatens Co-op, Again. Layby Rejected, Again.

A lot has happened since our last post on April 21st.

The State Highway Administration (SHA) has now rejected the layby (a delivery zone for trucks on Carroll Avenue), three times. And yet, the Neighborhood Development Company (NDC), continues to try to push their Takoma Junction development through. In essence, the footprint of the NDC plan is too big, creating multiple problems, including pushing the delivery zone into the intersection.

In their latest maneuver, NDC has submitted a plan (never seen by the public) for a shorter lay-by, which would exclude the largest trucks and the pallet jacks needed to unload them. This appears to be a violation of all the agreements requiring accommodations to keep the Co-op open. It is unclear whether City staff or Council were aware of, or okayed, the new plan. At the bottom, we post a new letter from Takoma residents who closely follow the Junction process.

But first, a recap of the flurry of events since our last post:

May 12 2021. A judge in a Montgomery County Circuit Courtroom hears arguments from lawyers for the Co-op and NDC, on whether or not to allow the Co-op to continue using the City lot, on an emergency basis.

May 13 2021. The judge rules for the Co-op, granting a temporary Preliminary Injunction, allowing the Co-op to continue to use the lot for deliveries until the actual trial, which may be a year away.

May 17 2021. The State Highway Administration (SHA) rejects the layby as unsafe, for a second time.

May 18/19 2021. NDC immediately writes back to the SHA, with various accusations and complaints, rebutting the SHA’s findings yet again, and submitting the plan yet again. They include a new plan, reducing the layby length from 140 feet to 85 feet, which would exclude the largest trucks, and the pallet jacks needed to unload them. This new layby plan, never seen by the public, would apparently violate NDC’s Development Agreement with the City, the City’s 2018 Resolution, and NDC’s mediated Cooperation Agreement with the Co-op. All three of these agreements state that any plan must accommodate the Co-op’s deliveries.

May 24 2021. A letter from the SHA to NDC rejects the layby for a third time. But SHA also agrees to review NDC’s new plan for a shorter layby.

May 28 2021. Takoma Park residents write a letter to the SHA, questioning the assertions in NDC’s May 18/19 letter, and questioning NDC’s authority to submit a new layby plan that violates agreements with the City and Co-op.

letter-to-sha-from-residents-may-28-2021

For a complete history of the Junction starting in 1992, see our timeline HERE.

Protest at the Junction

A lot has happened at the Junction this week. And now, the City must decide between the developer, and the Co-op.

On Thursday night April 15th, a lawyer for the Takoma Junction developer (NDC) sent a “cease and desist” letter to the Co-op, telling them to halt all Co-op deliveries on the City lot immediately. They gave the Co-op 30 days to vacate the lot completely. This would potentially shut down the Co-op. And it would put the parking for all the Junction businesses in peril.

The next day, Friday, residents began arriving at the Junction to make sure the Co-op could receive deliveries. On Saturday and Sunday, those who love the C0-op, support local businesses, and are through with this developer, held protests at the Junction. Some 150 protesters occupied all three Junction sidewalks (both sides of Carroll and BY Morrison Park in the middle). Cars honked support as they drove through.

Even some who had previously supported the development expressed shock at this bullying of the Co-op, a community-owned institution that fed many of us through the pandemic. A flood of comments supporting the Co-op and calling for the end to the deal with NDC came in through the City’s Junction feedback comment form (Please post your comment!). It has become clear that you can no longer say you support the Co-op, and also support this development. Small local businesses and non-profits that had remained quiet, began speaking out. The photos here are a record of some of the signs. The overall message was #DropNDCNow and #SupportLocalBusinesses

The protest was covered by NBC Channel 4 News at six o’clock on Saturday night. Eric Bond was there recording interviews for his WOWD Takoma Radio news show, Talk of Takoma. His audio montage of “person on the street” voices, with the sounds of the protest in the background, was broadcast on Sunday.

On Monday morning, the struggle at the Junction was featured on Joni Eisenberg’s WPFW show, To Heal DC. Eisenberg, an activist who has lived in Takoma Park since 1979, called it a “Shocking situation in Takoma Park.” She connected this struggle to the activism of Sammie Abbott. “This is not just about Takoma Park. It’s not just about a health-food store. It’s about gentrification, and how it’s impacting the entire country,” Eisenberg stated. “We’re going to need to mobilize, together, to fight this developer, and to make sure the City of Takoma Park stands up for what is right for all of us.”

Listen here, starting at 2:30:

Developer Versus Co-op, To Heal DC, WPFW, April 19 2021

At this point, lawyers (presumably for the developer, City, and Co-op) are negotiating, and we have no idea what is happening. The Mayor and Councilmembers stopped giving substantive answers to resident questions, citing the legal proceedings. A series of three closed City Council meetings, with no public comments, began Monday night. All we know is that “fixing” the situation has to mean more than just letting the Co-op back on the lot. We must part ways with this developer.

Background on What Just Happened (for dates and links, keep scrolling down):

County reviewers find the layby unsafe.
City staff post some suspiciously unsubstantiated claims about the current Co-op delivery system on the lot being unsafe (and other new and bizarre claims about the development plans).
Co-op and residents challenge the City Manager to provide evidence.
No evidence forthcoming of danger on the lot, used for deliveries for decades.
State Highway Administration (SHA) says NDC’s proposed layby delivery system on Carroll Ave is not safe, cannot be approved.
This is not surprising. Residents and Councilmembers had concerns about the layby going back to 2015, and County and State reviewers expressed concern about it at several previous points in the review.
Without the layby, the developer cannot build something this big, or make as much money.
Then, NDC breaks their agreement with the City and Co-op by sending the Co-op the cease-and-desist letter.

For all the recent correspondence and relevant documents in one place, here is a timeline with links:

2/2/21 County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) letter cites safety concerns with the layby

3/10/21 City posts “Fact Sheet” (later removed) on City web site alleging current unsafe delivery conditions on the lot

3/17/21 Co-op response to City Manager about City “Fact Sheet”

3/17/21 City Manager response to Co-op

3/31/21 Co-op response to City Manager asking City to correct the “Fact Sheet” and post Co-op’s responses

4/13/21 State Highway Administration determines layby is unsafe

4/15/21 NDC notice to Co-op to immediately cease deliveries and sublease termination in 30 days

4/16/21 Co-op response to NDC re their actions

4/16/21 Co-op letter to City Manager re NDC’s actions

4/16/21 Oddly, no Councilmembers are on the weekly NDC/City/Council call, and the call notes make no mention of NDC terminating sublease with Co-op.

4/16/21 Co-op e-newsletter to Co-Op members and community re NDC notice to cease deliveries and sublease termination

4/21/21 Co-op update to members states they now have until April 26th to end deliveries, and they have received no evidence about unsafe conditions on lot

What Takoma Junction Means to One Family

How does one family love the Co-op? And why are they weighing in on the proposed Junction development? Our City has repeatedly refused to hold a work session on racial equity at the Junction. We recently posted a letter signed by over 100 people urging the County to undertake a racial equity review of the Junction plan. But here, one voice, one story in all its rich detail, makes the point. With her permission, we are posting the letter Gimbiya Lim wrote to the County planning department this week.

The (seemingly endless) review process should come to an end one way or another this year, in 2020. So please weigh in now, this month, while the County staff is still reviewing the plan, with your own letter to Mr elza.hisel-mccoy@montgomeryplanning.org, and to City officials, to ask for a better Junction plan.

Racial Equity at the Junction

A large group of neighbors and activists, Junction shoppers and business owners, along with City Councilmember Jarrett Smith, sent this letter on racial equity this week to the County staff who are currently evaluating the proposed development at Takoma Junction. Community Vision for Takoma stands with this group of over 100 people who are urging the County to analyze the effect of the proposed development on racial equity at the Junction.

If you want to add your voice to these concerns, please send an email to Elza Hisel-McCoy, Montgomery Planning Board, at <elza.hisel-mccoy@montgomeryplanning.org> and simply say you join with others in the community of Takoma Park who are concerned about the racial equity and social justice impacts of the proposed development.

CVT’s Town Hall on the Takoma Park City Budget

Community Conversation on the Takoma Park Budget, Firehouse, May 3 2019

Approximately 75 people attended a community forum on the Takoma Park city budget on May 3 20019, organized by Community Vision for Takoma (CVT). The forum began with a presentation by David Navari, a Takoma resident who works in public sector consulting and examined the budget and met with each member of the City Council to discuss financial management best practices. The following are highlights from Mr. Navari’s presentation along with notes on comments from local residents. You can also listen to Mr. Navari’s 25-minute presentation and see his charts and data, in the video at the bottom.

1. The median household income in Takoma Park is about $85,000. That means 50% of households make less than $85K. This large group is “cost burdened” as housing exceeds 30% of their income – an increasing challenge when taxes grow faster than their income. (Note: The median for renters is $51,333 increasing the financial challenges for this group. See charts in video at bottom.) Several people in this “forgotten middle” spoke of needing to relocate out of Takoma Park and/or knowing many people who have had to leave Takoma Park due to the unsustainable tax burden. Others expressed strong concerns about working- and middle-class homeowners who are being squeezed.

2. 80% of the City’s expenses are personnel salaries and benefits and the city staff does not track time-on-task, so we do not know what the services/programs cost, meaning we don’t really have “true transparency”.

3. The City Council isn’t provided critical data to make informed decisions. For example, the tables of FY19 and FY20 budgets did not even show percent change from the previous year.

4. Eight out of nine years the taxes have grown at a rate faster than inflation which is a challenge for elderly on a fixed income and middle-income earners (i.e., middle/working class).

5. Takoma Park’s city manager makes $235,000 compensation (salary + benefits) which is the highest paid city manager per capita in the state of Maryland by a long shot. [See chart in video at bottom]

Community Questions and Comments: A Summary of Key Points

Approximately thirty people testified about our town budget. Here are highlights:

Federal contractors, non-profit groups and corporations track time to know what projects are absorbing most of staff capacity. Takoma Park should do this too.
The combined loss of the IRS tax deduction for state taxes and rising local and property taxes is squeezing many households in the middle-income bracket. One woman tearfully told of five friends who had moved out of the community due to rising taxes.
There is support for public and union employees but concern that the staff is growing and salaries and benefits may be growing at an unsustainable rate. The ratio of employees on salary for the city to number of local residents has increased exponentially over time.
The budget is driven by staff. It needs to be driven by the community.
The “I can’t afford to stay here” drumbeat is growing stronger all the time. Children of long-time residents cannot afford to buy here. Retired military personnel and most working-class people are being forced out.
We need to prioritize a deeper investigation into the budget, looking at the police department as well as our tax and revenue arrangement with Montgomery County.
Takoma Park needs to do a better job of benchmarking its expenditures to comparable cities in the area. How do we compare to others? Very few towns of our size, for example, have a police department at the scale that we do. What is the most economical and effective approach to public safety?
The way the budget is presented obfuscates things. We must see how this year’s budget compares to last year’s budget and how changing property assessments affect bottom line taxes.
There is a lack of trust that needs to be addressed.
The budget should not grow faster than the rate of inflation.
Capital projects are worrying many people. Can this small community support all the staff time required for proposed or anticipated development at the Junction, New Hampshire Avenue condos and rec center, Library, Adventist Hospital, Langley Park, and elsewhere? There are concerns about the financing for much of this and how much debt the city may be taking on.
The city is doing some things very well including developing metrics and outcomes to try to be accountable for positive impacts from various programs and spending flows.
Some feel we are losing the Takoma Park culture and spirit as it gets “fancy” and “unaffordable”. One person called for an emergency intervention on gentrification.
Some people feel the recent budget hearings were sufficiently transparent and that there is no problem.
The overwhelming majority of attendees urged the city to begin tracking personnel time by project (activity-based accounting) as of July 1 and the new fiscal year.

David Navari’s presentation on the Takoma Park city budget (with charts and data)

Letter from a Resident Architect

July 22, 2018

Dear Mayor and City Council Members,

I understand that you will honor your commitment to guarantee that reasonable accommodations for the Co-op are made and that you are also open to the consideration of changes to the NDC’s site plan as a result of the on-going mediation process between NDC and the Co-op.

I have specific questions regarding servicing the Co-op, a potential new restaurant and other new businesses.

QUESTION 1: How have you determined that the proposed NDC delivery plan is feasible and safe?

QUESTION 2: Will you commit to advocating for changes to the site plan in order to provide safe, sanitary, and adequate servicing to both the Co-op and also to new businesses?

Question 1– Regarding delivery conditions:

According to City documents based on Co-op information, there are examples illustrating multiple, simultaneous deliveries to the Co-op which would test the limits of NDC’s proposed lay-by. (These examples do not include 18-wheelers which average between 70’-80’ in length and whose deliveries unlike others can be scheduled.)

On Friday, May 25, 2018 there were 5 vehicles that arrived within a few minutes of each other during the morning rush hour to deliver to the Co-op. Vehicle one – the first of this group – arrived as a 54’ vehicle was already parked and servicing the Co-op. They shared this area for the next 15-30 minutes. When the 54’ vehicle left, the first of this group – a 22’ vehicle was joined by a 40’ vehicle and a 26’ vehicle. During the next 15-30 minutes, while still at this location, these 3 vehicles were joined by 2 additional vehicles– one 20’ and another less than 20’. As we know, these vehicles need space to enter and exit as they deliver, collect trash, etc. and that parallel parking and double parking would be out of the question at the proposed lay-by location.

This real life servicing occurred during the morning rush hour, during a time when pedestrians were walking to the metro, bikers were commuting, and children in this neighborhood were walking to school and bus stops.

PLEASE DESCRIBE WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED MAY 25TH AT THE 137’ PROPOSED LAY-BY?

Question 2 – Regarding changes to the site plan in order to address servicing: NDC has committed to mediation with the Co-op to address critical servicing requirements. There are fundamental life safety issues to consider when factoring in the vehicular, bike, pedestrian traffic and nearby fire rescue services to these servicing issues.

Identification of problems with the current NDC plan:

Professionals (including David Cronrath) have weighed in and have identified trash pick up and servicing as a weak aspect of the current site plan design.

Eric Liebmann, a Takoma Park architect with extensive experience in development projects has provided a solution which illustrates how back of the house services can be accommodated where they belong – at the rear of the site instead of front and center in our pedestrian zone.

Eric has provided you with an alternative plan which illustrates how a 55’ long vehicle can service the site using a one-way service loop. This service loop is in addition to the NDC lay-by. His plan includes a building with an area of the NDC’s RFP Concept Proposal (identified in the Development Agreement with the City.) The current NDC site plan building has grown by about a third from its Concept Proposal and would not allow for this back of house delivery and trash servicing.

CAN YOU PROMISE/ HONOR YOUR COMMITMENT TO ADVOCATING FOR CHANGES TO THE SITE PLAN – INCLUDING SCALING THE BUILDING BACK IN ORDER TO PROVIDE SAFE, SANITARY, AND ADEQUATE SERVICING TO BOTH THE CO-OP AND ALSO TO NEW BUSINESSES?

I would appreciate your consideration to these important questions prior to July 25th and look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Charles Poor, AIA

On Declining to Survey Ward 3

To: kacyk kacyk@takomaparkmd.gov
Sent: Fri, Jul 13, 2018 6:05 pm
Subject: Ward 3 Survey on the Junction

Dear Kacy,

As your constituents, we respectfully urge you to survey the residents of Ward 3 on whether or not they support the current Takoma Junction site plan, before you vote on the Junction Resolution.

As you know, there is precedent for this, with at least two other Council members having done Ward surveys on the Junction in the past.

We understand that you are elected to use your judgement in City matters. But we also believe that, because our Ward will be the most affected by the development, you have a particular ethical responsibility to represent your constituents in Ward 3 in this matter.

In order to have as many days as possible for constituent responses, especially deep in summer, we would strongly suggest putting up the survey as quickly as possible. As we’re sure you understand, any later questions about the objectivity in the framing of the question would negate the survey results. We’ve included suggested language here.

As your Ward 3 representative, I will be voting YES or NO on July 25th on a resolution on the proposed site plan for development of the parking lot owned by the City at Takoma Junction. The Draft Resolution is here. The developer’s site plan is here.

If the resolution is approved, the plan goes before County and State agencies for approval.

Please register your opinion as to whether, as your representative, you would want me to:

A. Vote YES

B. Vote NO

Some neighbors in the last few days have asked us when residents will get to vote on the Junction plan. The process has been long and complex, and unfortunately, many neighbors deep in summer are still not aware that the Council will vote on July 25th.

Thank you for taking this final, important step to ensure clear feedback from your constituents.

Natalie Angier, David Blockstein, Megan Christopher, Leah Curry-Rood, Joan Duncan, Meriwether Jones, Sue Katz Miller, Merrill Leffler, Susanne Lowen, Ben Miller, Paul Miller, Dara Orenstein, Chas Poor, Debra Prybyla, Ron Resetarits, Roger Schlegel, Ann Slayton, Joe Uehlein, Paul Wapner, Rick Weiss

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Re: Ward 3 Survey on the Junction

From: Kacy Kostiuk, kacyk@takomaparkmd.gov

Date: Mon, Jul 16, 2018 2:09 pm

Dear Sue, Natalie, David, Megan, Leah, Joan, Meriwether, Merrill, Susanne, Ben, Paul, Dara, Chas, Debra, Ron, Roger, Ann, Joe, Paul, and Rick:

Thank you for reaching out to me with this request.

I appreciate your interest in having a survey conducted on the Junction project. Throughout this process, I have sought to engage as many people as possible in this discussion and to carefully and thoroughly review the comments and information that residents have shared with me. I have very much appreciated the high level of civic engagement on this issue and believe it has and will continue to result in an improved project.

Over the past few months, I have engaged in a lot of listening and thinking about the Junction. I have spoken with and heard from residents at the Junction Project Open House, the Pop-Up, the One-on-One Conversations event last week, public comment sessions at every Council meeting since the beginning of April, two listening sessions that I arranged for Ward 3 residents, the traffic discussion with SHA at the firehouse, neighborhood gatherings, small-group meetings, one-on-one discussions, phone calls, emails, and listserv comments.

Thorough this process, I have carefully considered the perspectives of Ward 3 residents in particular. Based on what I have heard, I have asked questions of NDC, the traffic firms, and City staff, and I have requested changes to the plan. These include:

Adding an elevator to the west side of the building next to the Coop
Reducing the building height of up to 5 feet while maintaining natural light in the interior spaces
Minimizing negative impacts on the wooded lot behind the building
Setting 2700 sq ft as the minimum amount of public space
Minimizing noise and lighting impacts on the neighborhood from the rear of the building and requiring outdoor lights with no higher than 3000K temperature
Adding language to the resolution to require “non-formula” businesses without the Council’s consent
Dedicating a portion of the revenue from the project to the affordable housing fund
Requesting that NDC’s traffic firm complete an analysis of traffic based on a restaurant rather than just a shopping center prior to submitting to the County
Mediation between the Coop and NDC

I am still reviewing the Site Plan and Draft Resolution and considering if there are additional changes that need to be addressed prior to the vote.

Although I understand the impetus to call for a survey, I do not believe this would provide me with new information that would better inform my decision-making process. Through all the engagement opportunities noted above, I have had opportunities to talk with and hear from residents, gaining a general sense of residents’ diverse range of perspectives throughout the ward. The most important feedback I have gotten has focused on concrete aspects of the project or specific concerns. These concerns have led to the changes I noted above, as well as others, and to me reconsidering the plan in a new light. This is a vote on a resolution that involves a series of proposed changes to the project as well as opportunities for further amendments — not just a “yes” or “no.”

I can understand how frustrating it would be to feel that I am not listening. I assure you that I have been and continue to be interested in hearing all of the opinions shared with me. If you or others would like to talk more in-depth, I am happy to do so. Anyone who feels they haven’t had a chance to share their thoughts is encouraged to email, call, or arrange a meeting with me. I have appreciated all the input, and my discussions with residents have led to the changes I listed above and others.

Thank you again.

Best,
Kacy

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Alternative Plan #3

Here, we bring you Alternative Plan #3, submitted to the City Council by Eric Liebmann, an architect experienced in working with developers on commercial, residential, and mixed-use buildings. This plan features a proper on-site loading zone at the back of the development.

Features of this plan:

A one way loop drive behind the development which would allow all trucks up to 55 feet to unload and collect trash off-street, and out of public sight and smell.
A lay-by would still be needed on Carroll, solely for the use of the largest trucks. Someday when the largest trucks are no longer in use, the development would still have a proper loading zone in the back, and the lay-by could be repurposed (bike lane? row of trees?).
From Carroll Avenue, the project could look virtually the same, Streetsense’s handsome facades could be retained, and virtually all the valuable street-front retail would be preserved. The number of underground parking slots is also preserved.
The loop drive and loading zone along the woods could possibly be used in off-hours as public space.
The overall project would decrease in size by around a third in order to accommodate the loop drive, which would return the project back to the size originally envisioned by several responses to the Request for Proposals (RFP).